A Life Before
by Jags Girl
Summary: Hermione has to live a double life. Her life at school and her life in the Muggle world. As told in her own words.
1. Before the Books

**I guess I forgot the disclaimer the first time around, so, here goes:**

**I own nothing…Jo Rowling owns everything but Mara, the Bible owns that one. **

**This is my first fanfic ever posted so, if it sticks royally bad, flame me and I shall spare everyone by never writing again. **

**With that out of the way, on with the show… **

My friends, if you could call them that, more like my classmates always called me a bookworm. Ever since I entered primary school, I could always remember being the smartest one in the classroom. But it wasn't like it was my fault. If the other kids would have just read a little more, I wouldn't have stuck out as much. So this is my side of the story. Me, Hermione Granger.

Some people would never know this, but for the first eight years of my life, I grew up in America. I know, some people may find that really weird, but I went to the finest school that America could possibly offer, and I still was considered a know-it-all. Whoever thought of that phrase, needs to be taken out and hexed.

On my first day of school ever, the teacher stood over me a spelled L-I-B-A-R-Y and I got excited. She couldn't believe that I enjoyed going to the library and knew how it was spelled. The kids in the class looked up to me that day, but that was all going to change.

During the summer between kindergarten and first grade, I had a large library of books to read. You see, during the summer the library downtown has a summer reading club for children 6-12. I may have been shy by a year, but they let me in because I could out-read some of the twelve-year-olds.

The next grade, what Americans call first grade, I learned how to do my addition tables faster than anyone in the class. The teacher always gave me the candy. Everyone hated me for that. I would never live it down. I mean really, is C-A-T really that hard to spell?

This summer was also filled with more reading and out-scoring some more fellow readers that had involved themselves in the summer reading club.

In second grade the teacher already had me on times tables in the beginning of the year. I ended up skipping that grade. My parents decided that I was being held back in my studies. Second grade people!

So on I went to third grade with new classmates, new teacher, and a new building. I thought, with joyous optimism, that maybe this year might be better because I was with kids as smart as me. But, alas, I was stuck as the girl who skipped a grade. I swear, every bully in the new school had threatened me at one time to do their homework. But I wouldn't stand for that, oh no, I went right to my teacher with all of that nonsense. Worst idea of my life. Now, not only was I a know-it-all, but a "nark", as they call it in the states.

My fourth grade year, my parents both found jobs, as dentists, in Surry, England. They decided that a move would do me some good. So for the third time I switched schools.

By fourth grade I had learned my lesson, keep your mouth shut around other children. This was my chance to break out of the know-it-all standard and become "cool". My attentive-ness in class took care of that quickly. But the best thing ever happened to me, I had a friend. Her name was Mara. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, and was almost as smart as me. (I said almost) We hung out together all summer. But this would be the summer I received my Hogwarts' letter. I thought I could have cried. I had finally had a friend and had to move schools, again.

My cover story was that a boarding school in London had gotten wind of my intelligence and I was going. My parents were not as happy as some to send their only baby off to school, let alone a magical school. Professor Dumbledore's letter was the most reassuring thing for them, I believe. When Professor McGonagall showed up at my door to tell my parents and I about this new world, they took me to Diagon Alley that very day. We bought out the book store, I believe. The man's face behind the counter was brighter than any I have ever seen before.

Mara and I hung out in my room. Mom and Dad had built a separate room for my books a long time ago, so there was no way she could expose anything. I was eleven years old, hanging out with my best and only friend in the world, and told that I couldn't revel who I really was. That was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life.

Mara went with my parents to drop me off at King's Cross Station. She didn't go in, she had to wait in the car, and I had to tell her I didn't want her to come any farther. Another lie to my best friend. I promised her we could hang out all summer when I got back, and all of Christmas break, if I could get home.


	2. Year One

**Disclaimer: I am a poor little white girl with no money, I own nothing. **

So, off to school I went meeting Harry and Ron on the train there. I never knew that these two guys would be my newest best friends. If you would have told me that on the train I would have hexed you with every spell I could remember reading about in the books. Especially after Ron's "spell" attempt.

My school year progressed, but everybody knows about that. Harry almost died when his publicist, Jo Rowling wanted to write a book about him. He never thought it would become as popular as it did.

Well, during that first year I went home over Christmas break. Mara was ecstatic to see me. She wanted to hear all about my new school. Crap. More lies to the one person that stuck by me in fourth grade. I told her all of the truth that I could. Instead of Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, and History of Magic, I took Chemistry, Math, English, and History of Europe. I still could have the same professors and I told her about Harry and Ron. I was happy to note, she did not seem angry about me having new friends at school. Actually, she wanted to know if either one of them were cute. Twelve years old and she wants to know if my new friends were cute…I tell you. But, amidst all the laughing, I still had to hold back. I had to hold back telling her about the Mountain Troll in the bathroom. I had to hold back about telling her about the size of the Hogwarts' library and all of the books in the restricted section. Books that scream at you, books that could curse you into oblivion, or even books that looked like they would do something and do nothing. I had to hold back about teaching Ron how to levitate the Troll's club. I had to hold back about telling her about Draco Malfoy's obsession with being Pureblood. I was eleven years old! I couldn't take it much longer.

When I returned to school, Harry had his invisibility cloak. That cloak has saved all of our behinds many times. We went through the whole Sorcerer's Stone thing and I had my day in the logic potions. But, when I went home that summer I still could not tell Mara about any of it. I had helped win the House Cup and I could not tell my best friend? That hurt.

I wrote to Harry and Ron as often as I could that summer. Since I couldn't tell Mara anything, I needed somebody I could be completely truthful to. The thing that hurt the most was when Harry did not respond. But, after talking to Ron, and discovering that Harry was not responding to him either, I knew something was up. When Ron wrote to tell me that he and his brothers had saved Harry, I was so happy for them. But, I wanted to be there with the boys, I could not wait for school to start. Everyone at home thought it was because it was me, Hermione Granger, little book smart know-it-all.


End file.
